Saeima committee nominates Dita Remberga for NEPLP board seat
The Saeima's Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee has nominated Dita Remberga, head of the National Electronic Mass Media Council's Monitoring Department, for a council seat. The Saeima is expected to vote on the appointment this week.
The Saeima's Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday nominated Dita Remberga, currently head of the Monitoring Department at the National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP), to become a member of the council. Committee members backed her candidacy with nine votes out of eleven.
Nine candidates had originally applied for the position, and three were put forward for a vote at the committee meeting. Remberga's nomination came from National Alliance MP Jānis Eglīts. The "Latvia First" party, voting as a faction, backed Latvian Broadcasting Association executive director Kristers Pļešakovs, while the United List put forward former politician Žanete Grende, now a board member of the Imants Ziedonis Museum Foundation.
Other candidates
Before the vote, the committee heard from all nine applicants, who shared views on the security of the information space, the proportionality of free speech restrictions, the regulator's responsibilities, the development of digital platforms, and cooperation with the media industry. Other applicants for the post included former Central Election Commission public relations specialist Līga Ādamsone, lecturer Kārlis Dagilis, Latvian Press Publishers Association executive director Guntars Līcis, TV24 news department head Guntis Meisters, lawyer Jeļena Volkova, and Society Integration Foundation council member Daiga Sproģe.
Ahead of reviewing the candidates, the committee had invited organizations working in media, education, culture, science and human rights to submit feedback on the applicants.
Next steps
The final decision on the five-year council appointment rests with the full Saeima, with a vote expected as early as this week. The seat became vacant after former NEPLP chairman Ivars Āboliņš announced in early June that he was stepping down to become parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Culture. Following Āboliņš's departure, the council's then-deputy chair, Aurēlija Ieva Druviete, was elected as the new chairwoman.
